Household mixer attachment



April 1961 c. G. CONOVER HOUSEHOLD MIXER ATTACHMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fled June 10, 1960 INVENTOR. (GA/OVER CLARENCE A ril 4, 1961 c. G.CONOVER HOUSEHOLD MIXER ATTACHMENT Filed June 10, 1960 INVENTOR.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n ed States Pat-mt 2,977,807 HOUSEHOLD MIXER ATTACHMENTClarence G, Conover, Rte. 1 Box 109, Hightstown, Filed June 10, 1960,Ser. No. 35,304 I 7 Claims. (Cl. 74-16) This invention relates to powertools in general, .and

in particular to an adaptor which converts an ordinary household foodmixer into one or-more power tools.

It is therefore a principal object of the invention to extend the rangeof usefulness of food mixers, whether or not retired from;culinaryservice, by rendering them arts,.for instance in hobbycraft or householdmaintenance chores. Other and rclated'objects are to provide aconversion unit which is simple in structure and easy of application,combined with reliability 'of performance.

These objects have been attained by the device of the present invention,which may be briefly described as a bearing housing adapted forattachment to a mixer by a simple snap spring clamp, and carrying a pairof shafts which slip into coupling engagement with the drive shafts inthe mixer in the same manner as do the heaters employed in normal use ofthe mixer.

For a more detailed description of the invention reference is made tothe following specification, as illustrated in the drawings, in which:

Figureulis a perspective view of the adaptor with tool elements shown inexploded relationship,

Figure 2 is a perspective view, on reduced scale, of

an assembl'yshowing use as a drill,

Figure 3 is another perspective view showing an alternative use in theform of a' tool powered through a there is shown, in Figure 4, a portionof the motor hous'- .ing 1 of a food mixer having the usual, slottedoutput shafts 2, 3 which normally accommodate the respective shafts of apair of beaters, the latter being inserted through bushings 4 and 5,fixed in openings in the underside of the housing. In'the use as a powertool, two

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of 20, usable as apower source for tools in the mechanical Patented Apr. 4, 1961 pair offixed rings 16 located above and below the bushing 15 in bottom-11 tohold the shaft against axial movement with respect to housing 10. In thecase of shaft 7 these rings, 17, are located respectively below theupperbushing and above the lower bushing.

Keyed to shaft 6 by a set screw 18 is a pulley 19,

and a similar pulley 20 is keyed to shaft 7 by a set screw 21. .7Through pulleys 19 and 20 the output shafts 6 and'7 are coupled'by meansof a belt 22, and since the shafts rotate in opposite directions, thebelt is necessarily crossed. By this connection, the full benefit of allthe gearing in the motor housing is retained when only one tool is inoperation, which will usually be the case. In order to keep foreignmaterial out of the motor housing, a pair of fibrous washers 23, 24 areprovided between housings 1 and 10, and in surrounding relation to theshafts 6 and 7. e

Shaft 6 is threaded on its lower end to receive a tool such as theJacobs chuck 25. The lower end of shaft 7has a square opening to receivea mating head 26 on ,a flexible shaft 27 contained in a flexible jacketor sheath 28 of helical form. The jacket terminates at itsupper-end in afixed flange 29 by which it is anchored in a coupling ring 30 interiorlythreaded for at} tachment to a threaded nipple 31 welded -to the underside of housing 10 co-axially with the bottom bushing 15. For attachmentof a tool having a nipple such as 3-1 output end of flexible shaft '27has a square head 32 and this end of the sheath also has an anchoring,thread ed ring 33 similar to ring 30.

As seen in Figure 3, the flexible shaft is attached to a bearing housing34 journalling a shaft 35 to which is attached a tool of disc form, 36,,which may be grinder or a buffer or any of a number of conditioning toolelements. In the use" of the flexible' shaft it will usually be foundmost convenient'to employ the mixer housing mounted on its regular stand37, as in Figure 3, whereas the rigid shaft 6 will usually be employedto best advantage with the housing I removed from its stand, as inFigure 2. 5

Another important advantage of the invention may be realized byeliminating the coupling of one of the shafts at the power unit, lug 9ofshaft 7, for instance, and using a pair of pulleys of-dilferen'tdiameter to provide aspeed differential in the shafts to the extentdesired.

. Another importantlaspect is that the rotationof the respective shaftsmay be reversed by rotating the housing shafts (Sand 7, fixedly carriedby the adaptor unit, pres- ,ently to be described,,function in thesamemanner as in shafts 2 and 3 to provide the driving connection.

The adaptor unitco'mprises ahollow, rectangular housing 10 comprising abox-like element witha bottom 11 and an attached cover 12, the latterhaving upwardly extending flanges 13 and ,14 at each end, of-generally8- through '180 degrees, thus interchanging the connections.

While a certain preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed, the invention should 1 not be deemed as limited thereby,since various modifications and substitutions of equivalents willbe'apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains,and I desire, therefore, to' be limited only as shall appear from thespirit and scope of the appended claims. What is claimed is:

1. An adaptor for power tools comprising a'housing with a bottom andside walls, a top plate on said housing having laterally and upwardlyextending end portion havshape. The latter, which are adapted to clampthe I adaptor onto the mixerhousing will be fabricated from springmaterial, such as spring steel or bronze.

To accommodate the shafts 6 and7 the housing 10 is'provided with twopairs of aligned bores equipped with anti-friction bushings, all ofwhichj are indicated by-the s amenu meralpfli Shaft '6 is provided witha ing an undulatory curvature in vertical section and of springymaterial toprovide a clamping function to secure the housingto a powerunit, said housing having two pairs of axially aligned bores with eachpair located respectively in the top plate and bottom, a bushing securedin each bore, a shaft rotatably carried in .each pair of bores, meanson'each shaft cooperating with the housingto hold the shaft againstaxial movement, a pulley fixed to each shaft interiorly of the housingarranged to receive a common belt, coupling means on the upper end ofeach jshaft adapted to cooperatewith a pair of drive shafts 'inthe-power unit, and coupling meansi on the .lower end of each shaft forattachment of power tools there- 2. An adaptor for power'toolscomprising a housing with a bottom and side walls, a top plate on saidhousing having laterally and upwardly extending end portions having anundulatory curvature in vertical section and comprising springy materialto provide-a clamping function to secure the housing to a power unit,said housing having two pairs of axially aligned bores, with each pairlocated, respectively, in the. top plate and bottom, a bushing securedin each bore, a shaft rotatably mounted in each aligned pair ofbushings, means on each shaft cooperating with the housing to hold theshaft against axial movement, a pulley fixed to each shaft interiorly ofthe housing, said pulleys arranged to receive a common belt, couplingmeans on the upper end of each shaft adapted to cooperate with a pair ofdrive shafts in the power unit, coupling means on the lower end of eachshaft for attachment of power tools thereto, and a threaded nipplesecured to said bottom in surrounding relation to one of said shafts forattachment of a flexible cable sheath.

3. An adaptor for power tools comprising a housing with a bottom, topand side walls, spring clamp means carried by said housing for securingsaid housing to a power unit, said housing having two pairs of axiallyaligned bores, with each pair located, respectively, in the topandbottom of the housing, a bushing secured in each bore, a shaftrotatably mounted in each aligned pair of bushings, means on each shaftcooperating with the housing to hold the shaft against axial movement, apulley fixed to each shaft interiorly of the housing, said pulleysarranged to receive a common belt, coupling means on the upper end ofeach shaft adapted to cooperate with a pair of drive shafts in the powerunit, and coupling means on the lower end of each shaft for attachmentof power tools thereto.

4. An adaptor for power tools comprising a mounting frame with spacedtop and bottom plates, spring clamp means carried by said frame forsecuring said frame to a power unit, said frame having two pairs ofaxially aligned bores, with each pair located, respectively, in the topand bottom plates, a bushing secured in each bore, a shaft rotatablymounted in each aligned pair of bushings, means on each shaftcooperating with the frame to hold the shaft against axial movement, apulley fixed to, each shaft between said plates, said pulleys arrangedto receive a common belt, coupling means on the upper end'of each shaftadapted to cooperate with a pairof 4 drive shafts in the power unit, andcoupling means on the lower end of each shaft for attachment of powertools thereto. 1

5. An adaptor for power tools comprising a mounting frame with spacedtop and bottom plates, spring clamp means carried by said frame forsecuring said frame to a power unit, said frame having two pairs ofaxially aligned bores, with each pair located, respectively, in the topand bottom plates, a shaft rotatably mounted in each aligned pair ofbores, means on each shaft cooperating with the frame to hold the shaftagainst axial movement, a pulley fixed to each shaft between saidplates, said pulleys arranged to receive a common belt, coupling meanson the upper end of each shaft adapted to cooperate with a pair of driveshafts in the power unit, and coupling means on the lower end of eachshaft for attachment of power tools thereto.

6. An adaptor for power tools comprising a mounting frame with spacedtop and bottom plates, spring clamp means carried by said frame forsecuring said frame to a power unit, said frame having two pairs ofaxially aligned bores, with each pair located, respectively. in the topand bottom plates, a shaft rotatably mounted in each aligned pair ofbores, a pulley fixed to each shaft between said plates, said pulleysarranged to receive a common belt, coupling means on the upper end ofeach shaft adapted to cooperate with a pair of drive shafts in the powerunit, and coupling means on the lower end of each shaft for attachmentof power tools thereto.

7. An adaptor for power tools comprising a mounting frame with spacedtop and bottom plates, means on said frame for attaching said frame to apower unit, said frame having two pairs of axially aligned bores, witheach pair located, respectively, in the top and bottom plates, a shaftrotatably mounted in each aligned pair of bores, coupling means on theupper end of each shaft adapted to cooperate with a pair of drive shaftsin the power unit, and coupling means on the lower end of each shaft forattachment of power tools thereto.

7 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

